Meet The Client
Mercedesz Bondi of The Espresso Martini and Heath Gin fame
We have been working with Mercedesz for the past couple of years, starting with drinks photography for The Espresso Martini Society, and more recently her new launch Heath Gin.
Here’s a little of what makes them tick…
Who are you and what do you do?
As a husband and wife team we’re a small but dedicated outfit. We focus on quality over quantity, putting purity and taste above all else in our hand-crafted spirits. Like many locals in London, we’ve got a major soft spot for Hampstead Heath. An iconic escape where serenity and wildness coexist in harmony. Having lived a stones throw away for the last six years it’s long-served as our local saving grace. Our urban oasis. It was this love for the ancient heath that inspired us to create something to celebrate it.
Why did you set up your business?
We wanted to capture the heathland’s wild and natural state in the form of a tipple; and what better botanical tipple than gin? Focusing key flavour profiles from botanicals native to Hampstead Heath we set out to celebrate this haven of unspoiled countryside in the heart of one of the world’s most famous cities, and The Heath Distillery was born.
There’s always a funny story or moment of terror in your first 12 months, tell me about yours!
We’ve been quite fortunate, to be honest. One thing that didn’t go to plan was our wax seal, which was a let-down. The wax we use to seal the gin doesn’t seem to take with our wax stamp. Not the end of the world but the logo would have looked beautiful on top of the bottle!
What do you do differently or better than anyone else?
Our small-batch artisan London Dry Gin was conceived on the iconic Hampstead Heath. The ancient area and its rich history inspired the creation of our little libations; fusing native botanicals with the heritage of British distillation. We put purity and taste above all else, bottling a range of masterfully distilled spirits with zero percent methanol.
How important is the quality of your drinks photography and video?
We are very focused on online sales for our product and building consistent brand awareness across socials. It was really important we conceptualised a brand identity, a look and feel, a tone of voice and translate this with beautiful imagery.
What’s the best advice you would give someone else starting a business in your space?
Never underestimate how long things can take and always double the time you feel you might need. A buffer, so to speak. When you work with third parties there are always certain things out of your control so best to plan for that ahead of time, ensure your timelines aren’t impacted too much if someone is delayed, or needs more time to deliver their work.
Mercedesz Bondi
Delivering food and drinks photography goes right back to our roots as a business at Pocket Creatives – and we met Mercedesz fairly early on in our journey. Not only are they a lovely team to work with, but they’ve created a wonderful brand with their new gin venture.
As always, if you have any questions please feel free to get in touch.
Steven Mayatt, Creative Director
“Fun, innovative and unflappable. Pocket creatives are great to work with – whether it’s finding the perfect lighting for trifle to capturing GoPro footage on a whisk, they always approach every situation with a steady yet game-changing attitude. I see the whole team as trusted creative partners to make great content together.”
Kitty Aldis, River Group
“I have been working with Steven and the brilliant Pocket Creatives crew for 3 years – in fact since they started out. They have captured in excess of 100 recipes, produced 7 videos including 2 crowdfunding campaigns, their work, professionalism, and commitment to client satisfaction second to none. What’s more is how they have developed, evolved and grown in creativity, experience, and inspiration.
On a personal front the individuals in the team have to most wonderful personalities – an absolute joy to work with!”
Tanya Robertson-Lambert, Tanya’s Just Real
“I worked with Steven and his Pocket Creatives team to create a recipe video, and I couldn’t recommend their services enough! From the ideation stage, through to filming and editing the finished product, at every stage, the whole team were first-class, going above and beyond to create a compelling, high-quality recipe video that generated heaps of engagement. I would definitely work them again.”
Ben Cullen, OLIO
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